Granular Portfolio

DEFINITION of 'Granular Portfolio'

A type of portfolio that is well diversified across a wide variety of areas, typically with a significant number of holdings. Because these portfolios contain a large number of positions over many areas, they are considered to have a lower overall risk profile. Conversely, portfolios that have "low granularity" have fewer positions or contain highly correlated assets, are less diversified and have a higher overall risk profile.

BREAKING DOWN 'Granular Portfolio'

This term is typically applied to credit portfolios, but it can also be used when analyzing currency, equity and bond portfolios. Highly granular portfolios, sometimes referred to as infinitely granular, diversify most of the unsystematic risk (individual security risk) out of the portfolio so that the overall portfolio only faces systemic risk, which can't be easily diversified away. Highly granular portfolios tend to garner their income from a number of projects and/or sources, while less granular portfolios depend on a fewer projects or sources for their incomes.